RAF killadeas

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by skyhawk, Sep 11, 2009.

  1. skyhawk

    skyhawk Senior Member

  2. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    Eddie Fox who died when his crew crashed in whilst attempting to land , all on board perished and for Eddie's girlfriend Phillpa Stone it meant that " my entire world fell apart"

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    Of all the many accounts I received over the years I felt privileged to be told of this sad evening.
    What went before it - the evening before Phillipa and her friends were smuggling the crew into a dance which had been sold out via the window in the ladies toilet , the next day they were gone and her life was shattered.

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    Phil Ladbrooks crew. which crashed at Ely Lodge.

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    Eddie Crow.

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    Phillipa Stone
     
  3. skyhawk

    skyhawk Senior Member

    James those Navigation plates are amazing!
    Q codes relate back to early radiotelegraph communication and amateur radio and off course Aviation. They were used to set bearing and range to ( QDM) or from (QDR) a navigation beacon such as the one at Castle Archdale. Some still remain today such as QFE - Height above airfield elevation and QNH which is used to set altitude above sea level. Once the beacon was intercepted the pilot would maintain the heading keeping an eye on his MSA - Mean Saftey Altitude. This is why on the page the high ground surrounding the beam is listed. The pilot would not want to descend below this until crossing over the station then knowing he has past all high ground begin to let down .In the cockpit a neddle will swing through 180 degrees telling the pilot that he has passed the station. It then states from this point 3 miles or 1min 30 sec at 120 mph. Time is given as they may still not be visual and will have been on the clock since passing the station. After time has elapsed they know they are over the landing aera.

    In this Map you can see that the beam runs out into Donegal Bay guiding the aircraft along the Donegal corridor ( still maintaining MSA) and on to Lough Erne

    Orange is the beam from Rathlin o Birne
    Red is the beam from Inishmurry
    Black is the beam from St Johns Point

    As you can see it runs in a straight line and onto Lough Erne

    S is were the station transmitting the beam might be placed. The aircraft then crossing over this would have L - The landing area ahead.

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    In attachments are examples of some Q Codes
     

    Attached Files:

  4. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    It was quite possible to put an aircraft right down on flare path in pitch darkness.
    The run in from Duross point was well illuminated with lights as can be seen from the 1944 plate - these plates are the only ones I have ever seen for Lough Erne.
     
  5. skyhawk

    skyhawk Senior Member

    Surrounded by high ground and quite often unfavourable weather conditions the need for precise flying would have been a must. 10 degrees either way and your going to have a very bad day. Add strong crosswinds into this approach and zero viz the pilot would have had to calculate laying of his heading to allow for the drift angles. Also a strong head or tail wind would have affected the timing to Land on Lough Erne once passing the station transmitting the beam. Calculations that would have to be made very quickly during flying on instruments or with the aid of the Navigator. All this after a 17 hour patrol in the atlantic and possible combat. The stuff of Legends!
     
  6. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    Not knowing or a wrong appreciation of the surface conditions did lead to several crashes on the Lough - Mel Lee's 423 crew landed on a rough night and their hull split - she sank like a stone.( November 43)
    When she was raised and taken ashore at CA her navigator was still strapped into his seat.
    Two others crashed on an equally dangerous flat calm surface - May 41 saw a 240 Squadron Catalina crash and June 43 saw Douglas Gall (201 squadron) and a pilot under instruction cash on 30th June 43.
    Novemmber 44 saw two Catalinas crash one on Churchill (202 Squadron) and the 131OTU crew mentioned earlier
    More than a few veterans spoke of the high ground on the south shore with a degree of respect .
    When on the water pilots were expected to know the water - where they should and should not go- the unexpected rock or unmarked shallow could tear the bottom out .

    The worst disaster on the Lough did not involve an aircraft but a boat carrying 16 ground crew up fromKilladeas to Castle Archdale in rough weather she took a wave over her stern and foundered , all were drowned. ( October 42)
     
  7. skyhawk

    skyhawk Senior Member

    James. Was speaking with a friend this morning and he said he had seen a photo of a flag lowering ceremony for Castle Archdale that included airmen in white belts and a c.o. dated 1957. As we know all the aircraft left after the war. We came to the conclusion that because it was such a large station it remaind open until the site could be made safe and cleared properly. Bomb dumps etc... What do you think?
     
  8. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    I think I have seen this one Robert.
    The base did stay open until the mid 50's , for a time the USN had air sea rescue aircraft in training there when Korea was on and in the late 40's/ early 50's occsional Sunderlands would be over for training.
    When flying boats were withdrawn the base was quickly closed and for a time the Army (1950's) used the site for training.
    When the site was cleared it was literally cut of at ground level - I have not looked into its closure in great detail but when uyou look along the edge of the mobile site from the slipway to the " Shetland Dock you will find the remains of building which were "de roofed" ,tossed and bulldozed into the trees.
    Some of the hangers were sold for industry , part of a T shed was bought by a local garrage owner and until recently one of the nose hangers was in Monaghan , all are now gone.
    I remember in the early 70's the large water tower was still beside the Castle house and I did climb it , shortly afterwards it was demolished and cut up for scrap.
    Well I remember holding on for gim death and looking into the rust streaked interior which was rusted through.

    Walking around the site today and it betrays so little of what it once was - few who visit can even begin to imagine what took place there , the scale of the accommodation site , the crowded maintenance apron and the impact which this international gathering of youngmen and women had on the surrounding area.
    From 240 Squadrons Stranraers , the expansion was really very rapid and the base never ceased evolving , the photographs taken throughout the war years illustrate this constant building and response to need.
     
  9. skyhawk

    skyhawk Senior Member

    James this pic is entitled " Lough Erne Feb 1944". Do you know anything else about it ?

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  10. skyhawk

    skyhawk Senior Member

    Came upon this recently. Flight testing a Short Sunderland on Belfast Lough. Maybe bound for Lough Erne and one of the squadrons?


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  11. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    Larry Skey commander of 422 took the photo. ;)

    A good study of a working aircraft - the ASV domes under the wings , four nose machine guns firing from the pilots control wheel,she is just about top get off the water.
    The same skyline can be easily found today.
    The second photo I think is a post war photo - the roundal looks to be post war and the engines look to be P&W's , the spinners being missing from the propeller mounts.
    Colour scheme seems a variation on wartime but in this I may well be wrong.

    He also took this one over St.John's Point.

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  12. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Superb photographs. Thanks for sharing.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  13. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    A quick overview of CA in 1945.

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  14. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    A quick overview of CA in 1945.

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    James,

    Thats an excellent detailed map. Was it produced by the RAF?

    It shows the kind of detail the enemy would love to get hold of.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  15. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    Tom the identification notes have been added to what was a wartime map.
     
  16. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    James,
    Thanks for that. Such good detail shown.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  17. skyhawk

    skyhawk Senior Member

    James this is the photo i was talking about 1957 flag lowering castle archdale. The second just says Sunderland DD835 Killadeas any further?
    Regards Robert.

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  18. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    Robert the Castle Archdale photo I have seen at the Museum , the Sunderland photo - definately at Killadeas.

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    This is the "Plane Sailing" catalina which visited Killadas in the early 90's she later crashed near Calshot.

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    Above some 131 Catalinas which were trapped in the ice when the surface of the Lough froze over in a sudden cold snap - several aircraft sustained bull damage in the "crush" and ice breaking patrols were instigated.
    The threat to the aircraft was a cause of some concern.

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    A 201 and a 423 squadron Sunderland stuck solid in the ice , the thin hulls of the Sunderland were vulnerable to damage from the ice.

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    From Eddy Edwards, officers and staff at Killadeas.

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    A painting commissioned by Mr Jim Wright who was a Flight Sgt. with 423 RCAF showing DP191 2L" of 423 in November 1943 - the first encounter with HE-177's armed with "glider bombs".
    Jim and his crew did what they could to put the Germans off - flying between them and the convoy - no ships were lost.
     
  19. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

  20. skyhawk

    skyhawk Senior Member

    Great photos James:) That really was a cold winter.
    This is another occasion i heard off were a 423 Squadron sunderland was confronted with 7 enemy aircraft.

    On November22nd 1943 Pilot Officer L. B. ("Mike") Pearson, one of the squadron's newest captains, could only stand by helplessly when confronted with the grim sight of seven enemy aircraft —four Heinkel 177's
    and three F.W. Condors—in the act of attacking convoy S.L.139 (which he was escorting) with radiocontrolled glider bombs. Unable to offer effective resistance, he ordered a message sent to base stating the whereabouts and type of the attack and was ordered to return home.

    Think this is Killadeas, All those lovely CATS.

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